Departmental Databases

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform 
	(1)  what categories of personal information about members of the public are contained on each relevant database managed by his Department and its agencies; on what date each category of information began to be collected; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what databases managed by his Department and its agencies hold personal information on members of the public; on what date each such database became operational; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: The Department for Business and Regulatory Reform does not hold any protected personal information about members of the public in any of its databases.
	I have asked the Chief Executives of Companies House and Insolvency Service to respond to the hon. Member directly.
	 Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 15 May 2009:
	The Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform has asked me to reply to you directly on behalf of The Insolvency Service on what categories of his personal information about members of the public are contained on each relevant database managed by his Department and its agencies; on what date each category of information began to be collected; and if he will make a statement.
	The requested details for the databases managed by the Insolvency Service Agency are contained in the following table:
	
		
			  Database  Categories of Personal Information held  Date the data began to be collected 
			 LOIS—(Official Receiver's Case Management System) Name, address, occupation, date and place of birth, national insurance number, for individual insolvents April 1993 for all categories of data 
			  Name, address, occupation, date and place of birth, national insurance number, for directors of insolvent companies  
			  Name and address details for creditors  
			
			 LOLA—(Financial administration system for Official Receiver's cases) Full name for individual insolvents April 1996 for all categories of data 
			  Name, address and (in some cases) bank account details for creditors  
			
			 BANCS (Financial administration system for Insolvency Practitioner cases) Full name for individual insolvents October 1994 for all categories of data 
			  Name, address and (in some cases) bank account details for creditors  
			
			 Central Index—(Consolidated summary database for Official Receiver and Insolvency Practitioner cases) Name, address, occupation, date and place of birth, national insurance number for individual insolvents April 1994 for all categories of data 
			  Name, address, occupation, date and place of birth, national insurance number, for directors of insolvent companies  
			  Name, address and contact details for Insolvency Practitioners  
			
			 DRO—(Debt Relief Order database) Name, address, occupation, date and place of birth, national insurance number for individual insolvents. April 1994 for all categories of data 
			  Name, address, occupation, date and place of birth, national insurance number, for directors of insolvent companies  
			  Name, address and contact details for Insolvency Practitioners  
			
			 I-Solv—(Database of applicants for online bankruptcy) Name, address, occupation, date and place of birth, national insurance number, for individual insolvents April 2005 for all categories of data 
			  Name, address and claim details for creditors  
			  Name, address and details of amounts owing for debtors  
			
			 CHIRPS—(Redundancy Payments Service case management system) Name, address, occupation, date and place of birth, national insurance number, bank account details for applicants for statutory redundancy payments November 1997 for all categories of data 
			
			 EMS—(Investigations and enforcement case management system) Name, address, and date of birth for individuals who are the subject of investigation or enforcement activities April 2005 for all categories of data 
			
			 IBIS—(Case management system of Companies Investigation Branch) Name, address, and contact details of complainants January 2002 for all categories of data 
			  Name, address, date and place of birth of disqualified directors  
			
			 e-IRR Online, searchable database of current individual insolvency orders) Name, address, occupation, date of birth for individuals subject to insolvency orders April 2004 
			  Name, address, occupation, date of birth, date and duration of restriction, for individuals subject to a Bankruptcy Restrictions Order June 2004 
			
			 Disqualified Directors Database Name, address, date of birth, date and duration of order, for directors subject to a disqualification order September 2005 
			
			 Finance Section Database Name, address and bank account details for individual payees in relation to redundancy payment claims April 2006 
			  Name, address and bank details of job applicants (successful and unsuccessful) who were paid expenses for job interviews and tests April 2004 
		
	
	 Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 15 May 2009:
	The Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform has asked me to reply to you directly on behalf of The Insolvency Service on what databases managed by his Department and its agencies hold personal information on individual members of the public; on what date each such database became operational; and if he will make a statement.
	The requested details for the databases managed by the Insolvency Service Agency are contained in the following table:
	
		
			  Database  Date the database became operational 
			 LOIS—(Official Receiver's Case Management System) April 1993 
			 LOLA—(Financial administration system for Official Receiver's cases) April 1996 
			 BANCS—(Financial administration system for Insolvency Practitioner cases) October 1994 
			 Central Index—(Consolidated summary database for Official Receiver and Insolvency Practitioner cases) April 1994 
			 DRO—(Debt Relief Order database) April 2009 
			 I-Solv—(Database of online applicants for bankruptcy) April 2005 
			 CHIRPS—(Redundancy Payments Service case management system) November 1997 
			 EMS—(Investigations and enforcement case management system) April 2005 
			 IBIS—(Case management system of Companies Investigation Branch) January 2002 
			 e-IRR (Online, searchable database of current individual insolvency orders) April 2004 
			 Database of Disqualified Directors September 2005 
			 Finance Section Database April 2004 
		
	
	 Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 15 May 2009:
	I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 6 May 2009, UIN 274174, to the Minister of State for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
	Companies House is required by legislation to hold the following personal information about members of the public:
	Names, addresses and dates of birth of company directors.
	Names and addresses of company secretaries.
	Names and addresses of company shareholders.
	This information has been collected under various Companies Acts since 1844 but has only been held on an electronic database since 1986.
	 Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 15 May 2009:
	I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 6 May 2009, UIN 274175, to the Minister of State for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
	The current register of companies database (known as CHIPS) became operational on 25 February 2008, superseding the previous version of the database (known as STEM), which had been operational since 1986. There is also an image database, holding electronic images of documents filed, which became operational in 1995. All these databases hold personal information, most of which is publicly available.

Tourism: Finance

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps his Department takes to monitor the effectiveness of spending by regional development agencies on the development of the tourism industry.

Patrick McFadden: BERR and other Government Departments are involved in development of each RDA's Regional Economic Strategy (RES) and in approving each regions' Corporate Plan. The plans are reviewed to ensure that the RDAs deliver against ministerial priorities and priorities identified in the RES.
	The RDAs took on strategic responsibility for tourism development in the regions in 2003, and have developed tourism strategies and delivery structures in line with their RES. DCMS works with the RDAs in advancing and assessing progress on key strategic objectives through:
	the 2012 Ministerial Advisory Group, which guides the delivery of the national tourism strategy ("Winning: A tourism strategy for 2012 and beyond");
	the Ministerial Monitoring and Implementation Group, which guides the delivery of the national skills strategy;
	the Welcome to Britain Group, which is working to improve the overall visitor welcome and experience;
	Partners for England, which focuses on improved resource and policy co-ordination at national, regional and local levels;
	the RDA Tourism Leads group, which provides a forum for cross-regional cooperation, collaboration and leadership.

Education: Assessments

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the cost to his Department of examination fees for each type of examination in maintained schools was in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Knight: The Department began collecting information in sufficient detail to answer this question in 2002-03. No comparable data are available for previous years. The information in the table covers the combined costs of all relevant examination entry fees, including GCSEs, A/AS-levels and GNVQs, and any accreditation costs related to pupils. We do not collect separate data on each type of exam.
	
		
			  Financial year  Examination fees (E21)( 1)  (£)( 2) 
			 2002-03 155,611,000 
			 2003-04 173,843,000 
			 2004-05 198,227,000 
			 2005-06 220,056,000 
			 2006-07 240,861,000 
			 2007-08(3) 265,305,000 
			 (1) Includes expenditure by local authority maintained schools in England on the costs of examination entry fees, and costs of accreditation related to pupils (the payments centres make to awarding bodies to register with them to take their qualification). This includes GCSEs, A/AS-levels and GNVQs and covers administrative costs e.g. external marking; it excludes the cost of exam resources, like the test papers themselves. (2) Figures are rounded to the nearest £000. (3) 2007-08 data remain provisional and subject to change.  Source: http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/localauthorities/section52/subPage.cfm?action=section52.default&ID=58 (Budget Data Archive)

Education: Finance

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills on the merits of transferring the multi-professional education and training budget from that department to the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

David Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
	The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) is the responsibility of the Department for Innovation Universities and Skills. As such it would be for this Department to discuss the transfer of this budget from the Department of Health. However, there have been no discussions on this subject in recent years.

GCE A-Level

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils eligible for free school meals sat  (a) mathematics and  (b) further mathematics A level in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: The answer is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Pupils eligible for free school meals who sat mathematics and further mathematics at A level for the period 2004-08 
			   Number  Percentage 
			   Maths  F-Maths  Maths  F-Maths 
			 2004 554 31 13.8 0.8 
			 2005 567 31 13.2 0.7 
			 2006 591 42 14.3 1.0 
			 2007 686 56 16.4 1.3 
			 2008 705 53 17.1 1.3 
			  Notes: 1. The figures are based on pupils aged 16 to 18 years. 2. Percentages are based on the cohort of pupils eligible for free school meals who sat at least one GCE A level.  Source: National Pupil Database.

GCE A-Level

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the number of pupils in maintained schools who gained five or more GCSEs at grade A or A* in 2006 who gained three or more A levels at Grade A in 2008.

Jim Knight: The most readily available analysis is given in the following table:
	
		
			   Number 
			  Number of pupils who achieved 3 A grades at A level in 2008 and  
			 achieved 5 or more A* or A GCSE grades 13,660 
			 did not achieve 5 or more A* or A GCSE grades 857 
			   
			 Prior attainment not available 147 
			 Total 14,664 
			  Notes: 1. Figures relate to 16 to 18-year-olds (age at start of academic year, i.e. 31 August 2007) in maintained schools (including academies and CTCs) in England. Figures relate to achievements in GCE/VCE/Applied A level/Double Awards and full and vocational GCSEs only.  2. Not all of these pupils will have taken their GCSE examinations in 2006 or in maintained schools. Pupils who took their GCSE examinations in 2006 and achieved at least three As in their A levels in a year other than 2008 are not included.  Source:  National Pupil Database

GCSE: Young Offender Institutions

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 29 April 2009,  Official Report, column 1387W, on the General Certificate of Secondary Education: young offender institutions, how many young people housed in young offender institutions achieved  (a) one A* to G grade,  (b) five A* to G grades,  (c) five A* to C grades and  (d) five A* to C grades, including English and mathematics at GCSE in each year for which the Learning and Skills Council holds figures.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 7 May 2009
	The individualised learning record (ILR) data LSC collected for 2006/07 does not allow us to answer the specific questions on the range of grades achieved. However these data show that during the 2006/07 academic year there were a total of 68 GCSE achievements by 15 to 17-year-olds in Prison Service YOIs, of which:
	19 people achieved one GCSE;
	Five people achieved two GCSEs;
	13 people achieved three GCSEs;
	The LSC's young persons' learning 1 (YOL1) data show that during the 2007/08 academic year, for young people under the age of 18, there were 106 GCSE achievements between grades A and C, and 159 GCSE achievements below grade C. However the data set allowing us to break this down into the number of people achieving different numbers of GCSEs (i.e. ILR) is not yet available for the 2007/08 academic year.
	Also, note that the figures quoted will not include all of the GCSEs achieved by young people in juvenile custody, as some young people in custody are still registered at schools and colleges and any GCSEs that they achieve while in custody will be reflected in achievement figures of schools and colleges, rather than the figures reported by the LSC in these statistics.
	Also, many young people stay in custody only for a very short time, and therefore it is not realistic for them to achieve long term qualifications while they are in custody, especially as GCSEs can only be taken at certain points of the year.

Pupil Referral Units

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 22 April 2009,  Official Report, columns 577-79W, on pupil referral units, in which local authority area each of the pupil referral units is located.

Beverley Hughes: The local authority areas are shown against the pupil referral units (PRUs) and are listed as follows.
	
		
			  PRUs opened in 2008 by local authority 
			  Local authority name  PRU name 
			 Kent Ashford and Shepway Alternative Curriculum PRU 
			 Bradford Bradford District PRU 
			 Kent Canterbury and Swale Alternative Curriculum PRU 
			 Coventry Chace Extended Learning Centre 
			 Brent Church Lane Pupil Referral Unit 
			 Salford Clifton and Grosvenor Centre 
			 Kent Dartford and Gravesham 
			 Sunderland Ks1 Pupil Referral Unit 
			 Sunderland KS2/3 PRU 
			 Solihull Lanchester PRU 
			 Kent Maidstone and Malling Alternative Curriculum PRU 
			 Doncaster Maple Medical PRU 
			 Doncaster Nexus Centre 
			 Liverpool Primary Centre 
			 Wigan Pupil Support Centre 
			 Sunderland School Returners/Young Mums Provision 
			 Liverpool Secondary Centre 
			 Leicester Short Course Centre 
			 Southwark Southwark Inclusive Learning Service KS3, KS4 and Sils+ 
			 Doncaster Springboard Centre 
			 Rotherham St. Mary's Centre 
			 Kent Thanet and Dover Alternative Curriculum PRU 
			 Hampshire The Ashwood Centre 
			 Wigan The Beechwood Centre 
			 Rotherham The Bridge 
			 Sunderland The Cheadle Centre 
			 Doncaster The Gateway Centre 
			 Wigan The Lilford Centre 
			 Wigan The Phoenix Centre 
			 Rotherham The Rowan Centre 
			 Kent Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks Alternative Curriculum PRU 
			 Nottingham Unity Learning Centre 
		
	
	
		
			  PRUs closed in 2008 by local authority 
			  Local authority name  PRU name 
			 Nottingham Alternative Provision PRU 
			 Doncaster Beckett Road Centre 
			 Coventry Centre 4 
			 Lambeth Charles Edward Brooke Refugee Centre Co Charles Edward Brooke CofE School 
			 Cornwall Cornwall Hospital Education Service 
			 Rotherham Greasbrough Centre 
			 Stockton-on-Tees Greengates Primary Pupil Support Centre 
			 Doncaster Hexthorpe Centre 
			 Doncaster Hospital and Interim Tuition Service 
			 Somerset Link Education Centre (Orchard Lodge) 
			 Liverpool MILL Road Pupil Referral Unit, Ipors Centre 
			 Wigan Park Centre 
			 Southwark Southwark Inclusive Learning Service Plus (Sils+) 
			 Wigan Summit Centre 
			 Sunderland Sunderland Pupil Referral Unit 
			 Rotherham The Bridge 
			 Salford The Clifton Centre 
			 Southwark The Education Support Centre 
			 Wigan The Gerard Pupil Referral Unit 
			 Salford The Grosvenor Centre 
			 Doncaster The Long Sandall Centre 
			 Lincolnshire The Willows Centre Pupil Referral Unit 
			 Leeds Tinshill Learning Centre 
			 Doncaster Young Parents Centre 
			 Milton Keynes Young People Out of School Project 
			  Source: EduBase

Schools: Expenditure

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what individual programmes and corresponding allocations are aggregated as Other Miscellaneous Programmes for the year 2010-11 in the Schools section of Table 8.3 of his Department's 2008 Annual Report.

Jim Knight: The Department's grants and programmes aggregated as within Other miscellaneous programmes for 2010-11 are provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Departmental  report allocation 
			  Schools:  2010-11  (£ million) 
			 Music and Dance 37 
			 Redundancy Costs 12 
			 TDA 593 
			 NCSL 83 
			 Partnership for Schools 1 
			 Teachers TV 9 
			 National Strategies 473 
			 Total 1,209

Schools: Expenditure

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what grants and corresponding allocations are aggregated as Other Standards Funds for the years 2007-08 and 2010-11 in the Schools section of Table 8.3 of his Department's 2008 Annual Report.

Jim Knight: The Department's grants and programmes aggregated as within Other standards funds for (a) 2007-08 and (b) 2010-11 are provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Departmental report allocation 
			  £ million 
			  Other standards fund  2007-08  2010-11 
			 Schools Development Grant 1,898 2,133 
			 Local Area Agreement Grant 166 — 
			 Total 2,064 2,133

Schools: Expenditure

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what grants and corresponding allocations are aggregated within area based grants for the year 2010-11 in the Schools section of Table 8.3 of his Department's 2008 Annual Report.

Jim Knight: The Department's grants and programmes aggregated as within area based grants for 2010-11 are provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Departmental area based grants figures 
			  DCSF grants to local authorities  2010-11  (£ million) 
			 Connexions 467 
			 Extended Schools - Start Up 71 
			 School Development Grant (LA retained element) 168 
			 Children's Fund 132 
			 Positive Activities for Young People 95 
			 Care Matters 55 
			 Secondary National Strategy: Central Co-ordination 30 
			 Primary National Strategy: Central Co-ordination 30 
			 Teenage Pregnancy 28 
			 School Improvement Partners 24 
			 Extended Rights for Free Travel 29 
			 Children's Social Care Workforce 18 
			 School Intervention 15 
			 Flexible 14 to 19 Partnerships Funding 15 
			 Secondary Behaviour and Attendance: Central Co-ordination 14 
			 Education Health Partnerships 13 
			 Child Death Review Processes 8 
			 Youth Substance Misuse 7 
			 School Travel Advisers 7 
			 Choice Advisers 6 
			 Youth Taskforce 4 
			 General Duty on Sustainable Travel To School 4 
			 Designated Teacher Funding 3 
			 Child Trust Fund 1 
			 Total Area Based Grants 1,242 
		
	
	The total in this table contains figures that have been updated since the publication of the 2008 Departmental Report

Commission for Local Administration in England

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost to her Department of the Office of the Local Government Ombudsman has been in each of the last five years.

John Healey: The amount of grant paid by this Department to the local government ombudsman from 2004-05 to 2008-09 is set out in the Local Government Finance Report and is as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2004-05 11,058,000 
			 2005-06 11,522,400 
			 2006-07 13,221,000 
			 2007-08 12,851,000 
			 2008-09 12,600,000 
		
	
	For 2009-10 we have made provision in the Main Estimates of £16,155,000 for grants to the local government ombudsman, including a provision for possible future redundancies and a provision to fund the additional remit the ombudsman will have for schools and health matters, if and when the relevant provisions in the Apprenticeship, Skills, Children and Learning Bill and Health Bill currently before Parliament are enacted and come into force.

Council Tax

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what was the  (a) percentage and  (b) cash rise was in (i) average B and D council tax in England and (ii) average council tax per dwelling in England in (A) absolute and (B) real terms in each year since 1997-98.

John Healey: Information on the change in both percentage and cash terms in the average band D council tax in England and the average council tax per dwelling in England in both absolute and real terms in each year since 1997-98 are shown in the tables.
	
		
			   Absolute change  Real terms change( 1) 
			   £  Percentage  £  Percentage 
			  Band D, two adults for area 
			 1997-98(2) 42 6.5 36 4.0 
			 1998-99(2) 59 8.6 41 4.4 
			 1999-2000 51 6.8 51 5.1 
			 2000-01 49 6.1 32 3.1 
			 2001-02 54 6.4 48 4.5 
			 2002-03 75 8.2 75 6.7 
			 2003-04 126 12.9 112 9.5 
			 2004-05(2) 65 5.9 43 3.3 
			 2005-06(2) 47 4.1 11 0.8 
			 2006-07 54 4.5 25 1.9 
			 2007-08 53 4.2 -4 -0.3 
			 2008-09(2) 52 3.9 -4 -0.3 
			 2009-10 41 3.0 — — 
			  
			  Average dwelling 
			 1997-98(2) 39 7.4 36 4.9 
			 1998-99(2) 50 8.9 36 4.6 
			 1999-2000 42 6.8 42 5.2 
			 2000-01 41 6.3 27 3.2 
			 2001-02 44 6.3 39 4.5 
			 2002-03 63 8.5 63 6.9 
			 2003-04 104 12.9 93 9.5 
			 2004-05(2) 59 6.5 42 3.9 
			 2005-06(2) 42 4.3 12 1.1 
			 2006-07 47 4.7 23 2.0 
			 2007-08 45 4.3 -2 -0.2 
			 2008-09(2) 44 4.0 -2 -0.2 
			 2009-10 30 2.6 — — 
			 (1) Adjusted using the all items retail prices index (RPI) as at April each year and based on April 2008 prices. (2) Amounts shown are after the designation of authorities requiring them to recalculate their budget requirement and council tax.  Source: BR1, BR2, BR3 and CTB returns 
		
	
	The real terms change data for 2009-10 will not be available until after the publication of the April RPI figure on 19 May 2009.
	Amounts shown are calculated on headline taxes and before benefits. Where indicated the figures are calculated after the designation of authorities that required them to recalculate their budget requirement and council tax.
	The data are taken from the annual council tax base forms completed by all billing authorities in England and the Budget requirement forms completed by all billing and precepting authorities in England.

Departmental ICT

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department has spent on the maintenance of its IT equipment in the last 12 months.

Sadiq Khan: Communities and Local Government has outsourced its corporate IT service to Steria Limited and costs of maintaining IT equipment is absorbed into the annual cost of the service. The service cost for financial year April 2008 to March 2009 for that service was £4.5 million. Information on the cost of maintenance of other IT systems in the Department is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Mobile Phones

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) BlackBerry devices and  (b) mobile telephones have been lost by (i) Ministers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) civil servants in her Department and its predecessor in each year since 2005.

Sadiq Khan: There have been no Blackberry devices or mobile telephones reported as lost by Ministers, or special advisers in Communities and Local Government, which was created in May 2006 or its predecessor, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, in any of the years since 2005.
	However, one mobile phone was reported as lost by a civil servant in Communities and Local Government in the year 2008-09.
	This answer does not include Government offices for the region who carry out functions on behalf of 10 Government Departments.

Departmental Publications

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what timetable her Department has set for the publication of its evidence and innovation strategy.

Sadiq Khan: The Department for Communities and Local Government intends to publish an Evidence and Innovation Strategy in late 2009.

Local Government Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for how long local authorities retain revenue raised through reductions in council tax discounts on  (a) empty and  (b) second homes before equalisation processes in the calculation of government grants are applied.

John Healey: The distribution of formula grant to local authorities in England takes account of the socio-economic and demographic characteristics of the authority, together with its relative ability to raise council tax, expressed in terms of the council tax base. We then ensure that every authority receives at least a minimum percentage increase (the 'floor') year-on-year on a like-for-like basis. In order to pay for the cost of the floor, we scale back the increase in grant above the floor for other authorities.
	Since the introduction of multi-year settlements, we have used projected tax base data in the calculation of formula grant. The starting point for the tax base projections used in the current three-year settlement, covering 2008-09 to 2010-11, is the tax base as at 8 October 2007 adjusted for student exemptions. This is then increased annually by the Secretary of State's estimate of the average annual increase in the tax base for the authority between 10 October 2005 and 8 October 2007.
	The actual discount applied to long-term empty homes is applied for all authorities in calculating the tax base for the purposes of distributing formula grant. Any reduction in the discount applied to long-term empty homes commencing after 8 October 2007, will not be reflected in the projected taxbase calculations until the 2011-12 Settlement.
	Since 1 April 2004, although billing authorities have been able to reduce the council tax discount for second homes in their area (to between 10 and 50 per cent.), a discount of 50 per cent. has continued to be assumed for all authorities in calculating the tax base for the purposes of distributing formula grant.

Non-Domestic Rates

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make it her policy to  (a) undertake and  (b) publish a (i) small firms and (ii) privacy impact assessment in respect of the 2010 business rate revaluation.

John Healey: The 2010 business rates revaluation takes effect from 1 April 2010. We will publish a draft Impact Assessment alongside our proposals for transitional arrangements to phase in changes in rate bills as a result of the revaluation later in the summer.

Government Art Collection

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many items from the Government Art Collection are in  (a) Departmental offices,  (b) Ministerial residences,  (c) offices of non-departmental public bodies,  (d) public galleries,  (e) embassies overseas,  (f) storage and  (g) elsewhere.

Barbara Follett: holding answer 27 April 2009
	The Government Art Collection comprises some 13,700 works of art. Its main purpose is to promote Britain by the acquisition and display of works of art (mostly by British artists) in the representational areas of major British Government buildings in the UK and abroad, where they are seen by thousands of visitors every year. At any one time some 70 per cent. of the Collection is out on display, and the figures given here change on a daily basis.
	The latest figures available are:
	 (a) 2,043 Government Art Collection (GAC) works of art in Departmental offices.
	 (b) 560 in ministerial residences (including the whole of 10 and 11 Downing Street).
	 (c) 187 in offices of non-departmental public bodies and similar.
	 (d) 69 on loan to public galleries (including loans to temporary exhibitions).
	 (e) 5,404 in embassies overseas.
	 (f) 4,535 currently at the GAC's premises and available for selection and display; 470 of these were earmarked for specific locations (i.e. selected and awaiting installation). Of the rest, three were in commercial storage and 23 were being conserved and/or reframed.
	 (g) 912 displayed elsewhere (i.e. to organisations which do not fall into the categories a-f, such as in London: Lancaster House, Marlborough House and the Somerset House Trust; and abroad: the Offices of the Council of Europe in Paris and the European Commission Offices in Brussels).

Performing Arts: Discrimination

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions has he had with representatives of the performing arts on age discrimination in respect of performers in theatre, film, radio and television; and if he will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: I have had no recent discussions of this nature. DCMS is committed to promoting equality of opportunity and we encourage our sectors to make the most of the full range of talent available to them.

10 Downing Street: Email

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what his policy is on the use of web-based email accounts on computers in 10 Downing Street.

Tom Watson: The Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of Cabinet Office and therefore follows its guidelines and policies in the use of ICT. The policy for the current Cabinet Office systems does not allow for any web based e-mail accounts. Web-based e-mail accounts are permitted on a new pilot system, due to the increased security measures we are able to apply. If the system is rolled out, the Cabinet Office will reconsider its policy on web-based e-mails.

Government Departments: Data Protection

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will discuss with the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform the implications for handling sensitive data of the overseas ownership of suppliers of services to BT under its contract for handling sensitive Government IT systems.

Tom Watson: All communications services providers supplying services to government must comply with the appropriate security standards as determined by Government Departments in their information risk management and protective security policies.
	Regular discussions take place between Ministers and officials across government as appropriate to address information security and assurance requirements and policies for government.

Government Departments: Press Releases

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether the  (a) issue and  (b) content of departmental press releases is subject to a code of conduct.

Tom Watson: All Government communications activity is subject to strict propriety guidance, which, along with the Civil Service Code, defines how civil servants can properly and effectively present Government policies and programmes.
	Copies of the Communication Propriety guidance have been placed in the Library of the House, copies of the Civil Service Code are available in the Library of the House and can be found at:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/Assets/cs_code_tcm6-2444.pdf

Ministers: Data Protection

Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many security breaches involving confidential documents left  (a) on public transport and  (b) elsewhere involved (i) Cabinet Ministers and (ii) advisers to Cabinet Ministers in each of the last three years.

Tom Watson: It is for individual Departments to collate information on security breaches within their departments.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what steps the Electoral Commission is taking to assist functionally illiterate people to register to vote.

Peter Viggers: The Commission informs me that it issues guidance to electoral registration officers (EROs) on providing assistance to people with low levels of literacy, and that it includes as part of its performance standards framework a requirement that EROs ensure that the registration process is straightforward and accessible for electors.
	The Commission provides materials to help EROs and community groups communicate with people with literacy or learning difficulties, and also funds, through its partnership grants programme, projects to increase registration among people with learning disabilities.

Local Government: Suffolk

Richard Spring: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission for what reasons the Boundary Committee for England's March 2009 consultation on preferred patterns for the future of local government in Suffolk proposed an additional public service village in Stowmarket in the rural authority in the pattern B option; and for what reasons such a village was not proposed in the pattern A option.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that in its further draft proposal report the Boundary Committee outlined potential arrangements to deliver the outcomes specified by the Secretary of State's five criteria.
	One of these arrangements is for a pattern of "service delivery villages". These are centres typically providing shared local offices for public sector service providers, intended to encourage shared solutions to local problems. In Pattern A, which is a unitary county authority, the committee proposed locating the public service villages in the three largest towns: Ipswich, Bury St. Edmunds and Lowestoft. In Pattern B, the Committee requested views on whether the town of Stowmarket would be an appropriate location for a public service village, serving residents living in the centre of Suffolk, bearing in mind that Ipswich would be included in a separate unitary authority.

Local Government: Suffolk

Richard Spring: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission whether the Boundary Committee for England has determined Lowestoft to be  (a) an urban area and  (b) a market town.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that its Boundary Committee has not determined Lowestoft to be either an urban area or a market town for the purposes of its further draft proposals for unitary local government in Suffolk. It is not the Committee's remit to decide how an area should be defined.

Government Departments: Carbon Emissions

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what mechanism exists for the co-ordination of measures to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from Government departments' data centres.

Tom Watson: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government Chief Information Officer Council is co-ordinating measures to implement the Greening Government ICT Strategy published last July. The strategy includes early actions to increase the average server capacity utilisation, which will reduce the overall level of carbon dioxide emissions in data centres and accord with the European Code of Conduct. The CIO Council are also working with the Public Sector Council of Intellect, the trade association for the high technology industries, on a forward strategy for government data centres to reduce costs and carbon emissions.

Floods: Property Development

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 2 April 2009,  Official Report, column 1302W, on floods: property development, how many local planning authorities are considered by the Environment Agency not to have complied with planning policy statement 25 in each of the last five years.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Environment Agency has advised that the number of planning applications given planning permission against its advice on flood risk grounds over the past five years, and the number of local planning authorities (LPAs) this represented, is as follows:
	
		
			   Total number of planning applications permitted against Environment Agency advice on flood risk  Total n umber of LPAs granting planning permission against an Environment Agency flood risk objection 
			 2003-04 323 85 
			 2004-05 248 108 
			 2005-06 136 82 
			 2006-07 110 72 
			 2007-08 124 76 
		
	
	Planning Policy Statement (PPS) 25, 'Development and Flood Risk', was published in December 2006. Prior to that date, national planning policy on development and flood risk was set out in Planning Policy Guidance note 25. These policies apply only to England.
	It is for the local planning authority to determine planning applications in accordance with the development plan for the area, taking account of the particular circumstances of each application and subject to other material planning considerations.
	Further detailed information about the extent to which local planning authorities have taken account of the Environment Agency's advice on flood risk is set out in the Environment Agency's annual 'Development and Flood Risk' monitoring report. The most recent report was published in February 2009, covering the period 2007-08. This shows that where flood risk was an issue, around 96 per cent. of all planning application decisions, as notified to the Environment Agency, were in line with the Environment Agency's advice.

Hydroelectric Power: Licensing

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many water abstraction licences for hydro-electric schemes the Environment Agency has  (a) received an application for,  (b) issued and  (c) refused in (i) England and (ii) Wales in each of the last three years.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The number of abstraction licence applications received and new abstraction licences granted for hydropower schemes are given in the following table. The Environment Agency introduced a national Water Resources authorisations receipt tracking system in November 2008. As a result, data on the number of applications received and refused is only available from November 2008 onwards. Prior to this, information was not held centrally. To collate pre 2008 data would incur disproportionate costs.
	
		
			   Applications received  Licences refused  Licences issued 
			   England  Wales  England  Wales  England  Wales 
			 2006 n/a n/a n/a n/a 11 0 
			 2007 n/a n/a n/a n/a 4 2 
			 2008 4 0 0 0 10 1 
			 2009 13 0 0 0 7 0

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Pakistani government on minimisation of civilian casualties during military operations in Buner and Lower Dir.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 7 May 2009
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary last discussed the situation in North West Frontier Province with Foreign Minister Qureshi on 25 April 2009. As part of our wider defence engagement programme, we will continue our efforts to build the capacity of the Pakistani military to mount effective operations that minimise civilian casualties. The UK is also helping the Government of Pakistan to meet the urgent humanitarian needs of those most directly affected by insecurity. We have so far dispersed £2 million and have recently committed an additional £10 million. Our funds are being channelled through humanitarian agencies on the ground to give food supplies and shelter to those most in need, as well as supplying essential water and sanitation and basic health care.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information his Department holds on the deployment of armed US Predator unmanned aerial vehicles from airbases within Pakistan.

Bill Rammell: US actions should be discussed between the US and Pakistani governments. We cannot comment on intelligence matters.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has had recent discussions with the government of Pakistan on the deployment of armed US Predator unmanned aerial vehicles within Pakistani airspace.

Bill Rammell: Any such deployments would be for discussion between the US and Pakistani governments.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Mid Sussex of 27 April 2009,  Official Report, column 1030W, on Afghanistan: peacekeeping operations, what the dates were of the secondment of each UK official to the US-led review of American defence and security policy; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Gillian Merron) gave on 26 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 1795-1796W.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Nature Conservation

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues on the possibility of formulating a long-term conservation framework with a natural conservation area in the British Indian Ocean Territory.

Gillian Merron: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) Administration are committed to high standards of environmental protection in BIOT. There is a legislative framework, protection of sites and species of particular importance, and designated reserves (an area of Diego Garcia has been designated as a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands). These have contributed to the very high levels of nature conservation achieved in the territory.
	The FCO and BIOT Administration are keen to explore options for further enhancing levels of environmental protection in BIOT and welcome the interest expressed, for example, by the Chagos Environment Network who have recently proposed the establishment of a large scale Marine Protected Area.
	These issues have not been the subject of discussion with ministerial colleagues, but FCO officials have been asked to engage with officials in other Government Departments.

Departmental Public Expenditure

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 27 April 2009,  Official Report, column 1032W, on departmental public expenditure, what resource allocation was made for each overseas post for  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 2008-09.

David Miliband: The following table gives net administration allocations by post for 2007-08 and 2008-09. Programme allocations are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Net budget 
			  Post name  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Abu Dhabi 1,572,681 1,752,716 
			 Abuja 3,554,614 5,020,710 
			 Accra 3,086,040 3,257,524 
			 Addis Ababa 1,171,123 1,329,804 
			 Alexandria 202,731 238,579 
			 Algiers 1,533,265 2,188,879 
			 Amman 2,017,393 3,067,325 
			 Amsterdam 834,716 779,968 
			 Anguilla — 299,755 
			 Ankara 2,948,293 4,465,499 
			 Ashgabat 319,179 414,932 
			 Asmara 124,650 183,269 
			 Astana 851,062 1,115,209 
			 Athens 3,270,021 3,830,127 
			 Auckland 377,800 377,806 
			 Baghdad 26,584,327 2,673,946 
			 Bahrain 653,994 883,516 
			 Baku 784,919 1,137,164 
			 Bandar Seri Begawan 493,331 725,516 
			 Bangkok 2,071,120 2,818,570 
			 Banjul 503,026 562,103 
			 Basra 6,800,947 1,426,582 
			 Beirut 1,486,136 2,022,993 
			 Belgrade 1,926,599 2,561,436 
			 Belmopan 996,494 1,036,158 
			 Berlin 9,619,290 11,174,075 
			 Berne 2,080,823 3,022,511 
			 Bogota 1,791,605 2,288,380 
			 Bordeaux 92,591 87,580 
			 Brasilia 2,820,941 4,511,063 
			 Bratislava 720,791 846,555 
			 Bridgetown 989,862 1,202,104 
			 Brisbane 346,801 432,226 
			 Brussels 1,759,722 1,769,060 
			 Brussels Jmo 1,545,524 2,108,133 
			 Brussels Ukdel 1,230,250 1,273,536 
			 Brussels Ukrep 4,722,787 5,428,993 
			 Bucharest 1,696,001 2,024,966 
			 Budapest 1,769,921 2,084,513 
			 Buenos Aires 1,992,059 2,285,505 
			 Cairo 1,681,938 2,185,528 
			 Canberra 3,826,469 4,708,828 
			 Cape Town 667,062 698,572 
			 Caracas 1,314,228 1,798,230 
			 Castries 76,124 122,533 
			 Chennai 1,118,356 1,175,587 
			 Chisinau 383,987 442,085 
			 Chongqing 701,261 761,355 
			 Colombo (inc. Maldives) 983,532 1,198,960 
			 Copenhagen (inc. Torshavn) 2,818,761 3,525,259 
			 Dakar 404,312 521,654 
			 Damascus 748,137 1,200,735 
			 Dar Es Salaam 783,804 928,956 
			 Dhaka 2,251,636 2,399,027 
			 Doha 1,196,202 1,798,694 
			 Dubai 2,469,473 3,266,203 
			 Dublin 2,686,160 3,035,020 
			 Dushanbe 426,892 555,239 
			 Dusseldorf 3,171,526 3,781,535 
			 Ekaterinburg 282,226 302,869 
			 Erbil — 140,569 
			 Freetown 1,108,162 1,289,409 
			 Gaborone 207,884 257,933 
			 Geneva 2,785,634 3,760,260 
			 Georgetown 555,005 601,409 
			 Gibraltar 1,269,485 1,079,654 
			 Grand Cayman 226,174 151,865 
			 Grand Turk 305,617 317,317 
			 Guangzhou 1,413,497 2,097,406 
			 Guatemala City 1,010,725 730,975 
			 Hanoi 611,542 728,040 
			 Harare 1,487,040 1,815,506 
			 Havana 1,080,012 1,158,045 
			 Helsinki 1,809,797 2,087,428 
			 Ho Chi Minh City 331,617 515,784 
			 Hong Kong CG 4,639,855 4,705,475 
			 Honiara 158,607 176,287 
			 Islamabad 3,848,446 3,934,619 
			 Istanbul 2,992,285 2,055,233 
			 Jakarta 1,999,872 2,270,617 
			 Jeddah 902,238 0 
			 Jerusalem 1,349,103 1,938,662 
			 Johannesburg 842,801 1,007,857 
			 Kabul 12,169,820 19,635,051 
			 Kampala 1,588,297 1,423,909 
			 Karachi 822,293 851,778 
			 Kathmandu 707,020 757,460 
			 Khartoum 2,193,939 3,780,923 
			 Kiev 1,489,357 2,365,230 
			 Kigali 520,046 509,329 
			 Kingston 1,787,526 2,640,442 
			 Kinshasa 1,165,842 1,677,009 
			 Kirkuk 1,390,059 0 
			 Kolkata 321,640 300,305 
			 Kuala Lumpur 1,636,764 2,182,163 
			 Kuwait 1,569,723 2,278,500 
			 La Paz 345,724 482,107 
			 Lagos (inc. Cotonou) 5,514,863 7,115,131 
			 Lille 101,438 119,466 
			 Lilongwe (inc. Blantyre) 488,178 497,066 
			 Lima 1,117,531 1,486,548 
			 Lisbon 2,139,305 2,489,812 
			 Ljubljana 679,431 804,564 
			 Luanda 1,205,953 1,421,398 
			 Lusaka 898,246 1,019,562 
			 Luxembourg 581,764 538,044 
			 Lyon 80,207 88,686 
			 Madrid 7,728,424 9,386,780 
			 Manila 1,829,679 2,016,352 
			 Maputo 786,037 789,291 
			 Marseilles 77,506 63,600 
			 Melbourne 590,268 739,641 
			 Mexico City 2,818,773 2,912,994 
			 Minsk 220,814 273,281 
			 Montevideo 546,380 1,244,751 
			 Montreal 278,223 173,676 
			 Moscow 6,181,190 7,149,679 
			 Mumbai 1,557,814 2,000,928 
			 Munich 954,763 1,000,437 
			 Muscat 1,097,759 1,521,012 
			 Nairobi 2,824,968 3,328,947 
			 New Delhi 7,447,508 7,824,391 
			 New York Cg 2,361,293 0 
			 Nicosia 2,195,677 2,922,541 
			 Osaka 1,184,605 1,870,801 
			 Oslo 2,047,093 2,327,855 
			 Ottawa 3,696,031 3,257,247 
			 Panama City 413,424 609,718 
			 Paris 10,746,611 13,302,223 
			 Peking (Beijing) 4,773,854 6,313,945 
			 Perth 248,474 338,546 
			 Phnom Penh 326,998 463,172 
			 Plymouth 310,536 279,616 
			 Podgorica — 255,393 
			 Port Louis 370,368 476,964 
			 Port Moresby 299,819 490,659 
			 Port Of Spain 1,138,262 1,188,935 
			 Prague 1,582,009 2,073,835 
			 Pretoria 2,737,135 3,744,963 
			 Pristina 532,812 704,319 
			 Pyongyang 189,743 220,053 
			 Quito 444,535 544,209 
			 Rabat 1,739,766 2,209,227 
			 Rangoon 567,660 766,378 
			 Reykjavik 507,994 415,063 
			 Riga 576,851 782,674 
			 Rio De Janeiro 1,176,852 1,671,389 
			 Riyadh 2,256,078 4,218,700 
			 Rome 7,280,184 8,979,533 
			 San Jose 304,663 589,949 
			 Sana'A 1,449,958 1,374,296 
			 Santiago 1,183,681 1,940,182 
			 Santo Domingo 291,616 392,158 
			 Sao Paulo 1,785,853 2,541,755 
			 Sarajevo 858,826 974,585 
			 Seoul 2,856,603 2,833,744 
			 Shanghai 1,617,187 2,092,390 
			 Singapore 2,322,457 3,225,627 
			 Skopje 617,985 812,888 
			 Sofia 1,070,516 1,113,034 
			 St. George's 64,829 20,000 
			 St. John's 132,290 66,409 
			 St. Petersburg 828,538 972,984 
			 Stanley 103,220 251,653 
			 Stockholm 2,264,286 2,768,901 
			 Strasbourg 201,803 216,288 
			 Suva 590,919 674,896 
			 Sydney 1,435,245 1,473,760 
			 Taipei Btco 1,256,380 1,347,774 
			 Tallinn 626,126 890,640 
			 Tashkent 643,125 738,165 
			 Tbilisi 607,777 905,533 
			 Tehran 2,419,129 3,067,194 
			 Tel Aviv 2,026,430 2,676,651 
			 The Hague 2,377,310 2,481,914 
			 Tirana 552,704 567,072 
			 Tokyo 7,590,776 9,319,443 
			 Toronto 1,169,826 1,256,037 
			 Tortola 474,129 281,621 
			 Tripoli 2,034,987 2,174,438 
			 Tunis 814,700 980,533 
			 UKMis New York 3,781,613 4,449,125 
			 Ulaanbaatar 253,919 170,803 
			 Valletta 695,316 804,351 
			 Vancouver 375,147 647,884 
			 Victoria 247,500 198,928 
			 Vienna 3,488,089 3,959,201 
			 Vilnius 626,692 859,001 
			 Warsaw 2,180,512 2,535,063 
			 Washington 17,375,714 23,212,645 
			 Wellington 1,620,198 1,647,447 
			 Windhoek 299,991 262,758 
			 Yaounde 637,766 733,532 
			 Yerevan 385,782 532,762 
			 Zagreb 1,016,346 1,223,445

Departmental Stationery

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of office supplies purchased by his Department were recycled products in the latest period for which figures are available.

Gillian Merron: Data on Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) spend on products from recycled materials is not held centrally, and establishing the global proportion of the FCO's office supplies being made from recycled materials could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. A trawl of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO's) principle suppliers of office supplies in the UK, has identified that:
	The FCO's A4 paper supplies are made from 100 per cent. recycled materials, and a number of more specialised paper products are made from 75 per cent. recycled materials;
	80 per cent. of the FCO's bespoke print paper products from its in-house print facility are made from 100 per cent. recycled materials;
	The FCO's contracted stationery supplier provides a range of products meeting certain environmental criteria, including but not exclusively, being made from recycled materials. Since 1 May 2008, 18.47 per cent. of the FCO's spend with this supplier has been on products which meet their criteria as being environmentally sound;
	Chairs purchased by the FCO contain 50 per cent. recycled materials.

Diplomatic Service: Allowances

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer of 27 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1196W, on departmental pay, what the source of the security advice used to calculate the hardship element of the Diplomatic Service Compensation Allowance is.

Gillian Merron: The Diplomatic Service Compensation Allowance Hardship allowance is based on scores supplied by an independent company, Employment Conditions Abroad (ECA). ECA score posts around the world in 16 different categories including personal security and socio-political tension, based on their own independent research and information derived from the annual location ranking survey completed by their member organisations. They reflect conditions for an average expatriate living in the city concerned. These scores are then re-weighted by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (multiplied by 1.389) to reflect the additional security risk staff may face because of their higher profile as official Government representatives overseas.
	In addition to ECA's security score, our own security advisers award points based on their assessment of the security threat to British diplomats and their families from terrorism, hostile intelligence activity and political violence.

Diplomatic Service: Allowances

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which posts qualify civilian employees of his Department for the hardship element of the Diplomatic Service Compensation Allowance (DSCA); and what the monthly rate of DSCA hardship allowance paid to staff at each post is.

Gillian Merron: Each of the posts in the following table qualifies for DSCA Hardship allowance. The list and the rates paid are revised annually. The accompanied rates are paid to an officer posted with their spouse/registered partner. Unaccompanied rates are paid to single officers or staff with a spouse/registered partner elsewhere. The rates are changed on 1 January every year.
	
		
			   Accompanied  Unaccompanied  Effective date 
			 Abidjan 8,919 4,460 1 January 2009 
			 Abu Dhabi 1,517 759 1 January 2009 
			 Abuja 14,804 7,402 1 January 2009 
			 Accra 4,219 2,110 1 January 2009 
			 Addis Ababa 8,919 4,460 1 January 2009 
			 Al Khobar 7,957 3,979 1 January 2009 
			 Alexandria 3,849 1,925 1 January 2009 
			 Algiers 12,028 6,014 1 January 2009 
			 Almaty 4,219 2,110 1 January 2009 
			 Amman 2,221 1,110 1 January 2009 
			 Ankara 3,849 1,925 1 January 2009 
			 Ashgabat 6,144 3,072 1 January 2009 
			 Asmara 8,438 4,219 1 January 2009 
			 Astana 4,959 2,480 1 January 2009 
			 Baghdad 0 27,683 1 January 2009 
			 Bahrain 1,221 611 1 January 2009 
			 Baku 3,479 1,739 1 January 2009 
			 Bamako 6,144 3,072 1 January 2009 
			 Bandar Seri Begawan 2,036 1,018 1 January 2009 
			 Bangalore 4,959 2,480 1 January 2009 
			 Bangkok 2,517 1,258 1 January 2009 
			 Banja Luka 3,109 1,554 1 January 2009 
			 Banjul 4,589 2,295 1 January 2009 
			 Basra 0 27,683 1 January 2009 
			 Beijing 2,813 1,406 1 January 2009 
			 Beirut 5,329 2,665 1 January 2009 
			 Belgrade 5,700 2,850 1 January 2009 
			 Belmopan 4,589 2,295 1 January 2009 
			 Bogota 7,032 3,516 1 January 2009 
			 Brasilia 2,813 1,406 1 January 2009 
			 Bucharest 925 463 1 January 2009 
			 Buenos Aires 1,517 759 1 January 2009 
			 Bujumbura 9,919 4,959 1 January 2009 
			 Cairo 7,032 3,516 1 January 2009 
			 Cape Town 2,221 1,110 1 January 2009 
			 Caracas 5,700 2,850 1 January 2009 
			 Casablanca 3,109 1,554 1 January 2009 
			 Castries 1,517 759 1 January 2009 
			 Chennai 6,144 3,072 1 January 2009 
			 Chisinau 5,700 2,850 1 January 2009 
			 Chongqing 6,144 3,072 1 January 2009 
			 Co1ombo 8,919 4,460 1 January 2009 
			 Conakry 9,401 4,700 1 January 2009 
			 Dakar 5,700 2,850 1 January 2009 
			 Damascus 6,144 3,072 1 January 2009 
			 Dar es Salaam 6,588 3,294 1 January 2009 
			 Dhaka 12,583 6,292 1 January 2009 
			 Doha 1,517 759 1 January 2009. 
			 Dubai 1,369 685 1 January 2009 
			 Durban 2,517 1,258 1 January 2009 
			 Dushanbe 9,401 4,700 1 January 2009 
			 Erbil 0 19,630 1 January 2009 
			 Freetown 9,919 4,959 1 January 2009 
			 Gaborone 1,221 611 1 January 2009 
			 Georgetown 6,144 3,072 1 January 2009 
			 Grand Turk 2,813 1,406 1 October 2008 
			 Guangzhou 5,329 2,665 1 January 2009 
			 Guatemala City 4,589 2,295 1 January 2009 
			 Hanoi 4,589 2,295 1 January 2009 
			 Harare 10,437 5,218 1 January 2009 
			 Havana 4,589 2,295 1 January 2009 
			 Ho Chi Minh City 5,700 2,850 1 January 2009 
			 Honiara 7,957 3,979 1 January 2009 
			 Islamabad 23,094 11,547 1 January 2009 
			 Istanbul 2,221 1,110 1 January 2009 
			 Jakarta 14804 7,402 1 January 2009 
			 Jedda 7,032 3,516 1 January 2009 
			 Jerusalem 3,849 1,925 1 January 2009 
			 Johannesburg 1,851 925 1 January 2009 
			 Juba 19,541 9,771 1 January 2009 
			 Kabul 0 18,120 1 January 2009 
			 Kampala 7,957 3,979 1 January 2009 
			 Kandahar 0 18,831 1 January 2009 
			 Karachi 26,647 13,324 1 January 2009 
			 Kathmandu 7,476 3,738 1 January 2009 
			 Khartoum 18,357 9,178 1 January 2009 
			 Kiev 2,813 1,406 1 January 2009 
			 Kigali 5,700 2,850 1 January 2009 
			 Kingston 4,219 2,110 1 January 2009 
			 Kinshasa 10,955 5,477 1 January 2009 
			 Ko1kata 7,957 3,979 1 January 2009 
			 Kuala Lumpur 2,517 1,258 1 January 2009 
			 Kuwait 2,517 1,258 1 January 2009 
			 La Paz 3,109 1,554 1 January 2009 
			 Lagos 15,396 7,698 1 January 2009 
			 Lashkar Gar 0 20,962 1 January 2009 
			 Lilongwe 5,700 2,850 1 January 2009 
			 Lima 4,219 2,110 1 January 2009 
			 Luanda 9,919 4,959 1 January 2009 
			 Lusaka 6,144 3,072 1 January 2009 
			 Manila 9,919 4,959 1 January 2009 
			 Maputo 8,438 4,219 1 January 2009 
			 Mexico City 3,479 1,739 1 January 2009 
			 Minsk 5,329 2,665 1 January 2009 
			 Monrovia 12,583 6,292 1 January 2009 
			 Monterrey 2,036 1,018 1 January 2009 
			 Montserrat 2,036 1,018 1 January 2009 
			 Moscow 5,700 2,850 1 January 2009 
			 Mumbai 7,032 3,516 1 January 2009 
			 Muscat 1,369 685 1 January 2009 
			 Nairobi 8,919 4,460 1 January 2009 
			 N'Djamena 8,919 4,460 1 January 2009 
			 New Delhi 7,957 3,979 1 January 2009 
			 Nouakchott 7,032 3,516 1 January 2009 
			 Nuku'alofa 4,589 2,295 1 January 2009 
			 Panama 1,221 611 1 January 2009 
			 Phnom Penh 7,957 3,979 1 January 2009 
			 Pitcairn 1,851 925 1 January 2009 
			 Podgorica 1,517 759 1 January 2009 
			 Port Louis 1,517 759 1 January 2009 
			 Port Moresby 8,919 4,460 1 January 2009 
			 Port of Spain 2,517 1,258 1 January 2009 
			 Pretoria 2,036 1,018 1 January 2009 
			 Pristina 3,849 1,925 1 January 2009 
			 Pyongyang 10,955 5,477 1 January 2009 
			 Quito 2,813 1,406 1 January 2009 
			 Rabat 2,517 1,258 1 January 2009 
			 Rangoon 12,028 6,014 1 January 2009 
			 Rio de Janeiro 2,221 1,110 1 January 2009 
			 Riyadh 7,476 3,738 1 January 2009 
			 San Jose 1,851 925 1 January 2009 
			 Sana'a 14,249 7,124 1 January 2009 
			 Santiago 777 389 1 January 2009 
			 Santo Domingo 3,479 1,739 1 January 2009 
			 Sao Paulo 2,517 1,258 1 January 2009 
			 Sarajevo 2,813 1,406 1 January 2009 
			 Seoul 1,221 611 1 January 2009 
			 Shanghai 2,517 1,258 1 January 2009 
			 Skopje 777 389 1 January 2009 
			 Sofia 1,851 925 1 January 2009 
			 St. Helena 740 370 1 January 2009 
			 St. Petersburg 4,959 2,480 1 January 2009 
			 Suva 5,329 2,665 1 January 2009 
			 Taipei 1,665 833 1 January 2009 
			 Tashkent 8,438 4,219 1 January 2009 
			 Tbilisi 7,032 3,516 1 January 2009 
			 Tehran 12,028 6,014 1 January 2009 
			 Tel Aviv 2,517 1,258 1 January 2009 
			 Tirana 4,219 2,110 1 January 2009 
			 Tripo1i 7,957 3,979 1 January 2009 
			 Tristan da Cunha 925 463 1 January 2009 
			 Tunis 1,221 611 1 January 2009 
			 Ulaanbaatar 5,329 2,665 1 January 2009 
			 Victoria 1,517 759 1 January 2009 
			 Windhoek 1,369 685 1 January 2009 
			 Yaounde 7,032 3,516 1 January 2009 
			 Yekaterinburg 6,588 3,294 1 January 2009 
			 Yerevan 3,479 1,739 1 January 2009

EU-Pakistan Summit

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what  (a) priorities and  (b) objectives have been set for the EU-Pakistan Summit.

David Miliband: The Government strongly support the proposed EU-Pakistan summit and continue to encourage the Czech presidency to set an ambitious agenda that will deliver tangible benefits to Pakistan. We believe the summit should focus on security, counter-terrorism, trade and building democracy.

Industrial Health and Safety

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on compliance with requirements of health and safety at work legislation in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: Health and Safety considerations are an important factor in decisions about expenditure on the maintenance and improvement of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office estate and on the security and healthcare arrangements we put in place for our staff overseas.
	Identifying the information on which elements of this expenditure is spent on compliance with the relevant health and safety standards would incur disproportionate cost.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with representatives of  (a) the Israeli government and  (b) the Palestinian authorities on the recent ceasefire in Gaza.

Bill Rammell: We are in close contact with both Israeli and Palestinian authorities about ways to improve the situation in Gaza.
	In April 2009 my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary spoke to both his Israeli counterpart and Palestinian Prime Minister Fayyad.
	On 7 April 2009, I spoke to my Israeli counterpart about the importance of improving the situation in Gaza, among other issues.

Sri Lanka: Armed Conflict

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether  (a) he and  (b) his officials have met representatives of the governments of (i) India, (ii) Iran, (iii) China, (iv) Pakistan, (v) Syria and (vi) Russia to discuss the conflict in Sri Lanka in the last three months; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 6 May 2009
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had regular discussions with a range of international partners on the situation in Sri Lanka, including Indian Foreign Minister Mukherjee. Our officials have had discussions with international partners, including members of the UN Security Council.
	The Foreign Secretary made an oral statement in the House on 30 April 2009,  Official Report , columns 1048-50W, following his visit to Sri Lanka on 29 April 2009 to meet with the Sri Lankan Government.

Sri Lanka: Armed Conflict

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the government of Sri Lanka on the avoidance of civilian deaths among the Tamil population in the north of Sri Lanka.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary visited Sri Lanka on 29 April 2009 with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, for talks with the Sri Lankan government on the ongoing conflict and the grave humanitarian impact. In his discussions with President Rajapakse and Foreign Minister Bogollogama, the Foreign Secretary made clear that the protection of civilians must be paramount.
	Following his visit, the Foreign Secretary gave an oral statement to the House on 30 April 2009,  Official Report, columns 1048-1050.

Sudan: Human Rights

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the International Criminal Court on the status of Sudanese President al-Bashir.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 12 May 2009
	Following the announcement of the International Criminal Court's (ICC) decision to issue an arrest warrant for President Bashir on counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity on 4 March 2009, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary issued a statement supporting the ICC as an independent judicial body, urging the Government of Sudan to cooperate with the court, and reiterating UK support to peace in Sudan. We have re-iterated this message in contacts with international partners and in other public statements. As with all state parties to the Rome Statute, we have regular contact with the ICC on a range of court business.

Torture: British Nationality

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK nationals have claimed to his Department's staff in the last three years that they had been tortured overseas; and how many such cases have been investigated.

Gillian Merron: The UK is opposed to torture and is one of the most active countries in the world in the fight to eradicate it. Ensuring the welfare of British nationals detained abroad is one of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's highest consular priorities, and any allegation of abuse or torture is taken particularly seriously.
	Since 1 April 2005 we have collated statistics on the number of cases where we have, with the permission of the British national concerned, raised concerns with the detaining authorities over allegations of torture or abuse. These are as follows:
	
		
			   Number of allegations raised 
			 April-December 2005 39 
			 January-December 2006 69 
			 January-December 2007 75 
			 January2008-March 2009 60 
		
	
	Our case files also record all instances where UK nationals have approached departmental staff overseas claiming to have been mistreated overseas. Until this month we did not centrally collate these records, and to extract this information would incur a disproportionate cost. However, since May 2009 we have introduced a new system to record the total number of cases of mistreatment raised with us anywhere in the world, and we expect the first data to be available in October 2009.
	While we cannot conduct investigations in another sovereign country ourselves, the objective of our representations to foreign governments is to end any ongoing mistreatment, and have the incident investigated and the perpetrators of any abuse brought to justice.

United Arab Emirates: Torture

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received reports of alleged video evidence of acts of torture by uniformed police and others in the United Arab Emirates.

Bill Rammell: In addition to the two questions asked by the hon. Member my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has to date received one letter from a member of the public on this subject.

Zimbabwe: Politics and Government

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the number of white Zimbabwean farmers who have been deprived of their land in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: The majority of white Zimbabwean farmers were evicted from their land between 2000 and 2002, during which period farming organisations in Zimbabwe estimate that numbers fell from between 5,000-6,000 to approx 2,000. Since 2002 the rate of evictions has slowed. Many of the remaining farmers have been forced to keep a low profile so maintaining accurate records of farm ownership has been challenging for farming organisations. However, they estimate that approximately 700 white Zimbabwean farmers have been evicted since 2004.

Breast Cancer: Ethnic Minorities

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on rates of breast cancer among each ethnic minority group.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department has not directly commissioned research on the incidence of breast cancer among ethnic minority groups. A relevant study undertaken by the Thames Cancer Registry has however been recently published ("Breast cancer incidence, stage, treatment and survival in ethnic groups in South East England", British Journal of Cancer, 6 January 2009); and the National Cancer Research Institute's (NCRI) National Cancer Intelligence Network plan to publish an ethnicity and cancer report in June 2009. The report will include incidence and survival figures for ethnic groups in England in relation to selected cancer sites.
	The Department funds the regional cancer registries in England. The NCRI is a partnership organisation in which the Department plays a key role.

Cardiovascular System: Health Services

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms are in place to reduce health inequalities in  (a) prevalence and  (b) access to care for (i) cardiac and (ii) vascular disease.

Ann Keen: The Government have made tackling health inequalities a top priority, and the most comprehensive programme ever in this country is in place to address them. For coronary heart disease (CHD), the target to reduce deaths from cardiovascular disease (CHD, stroke and related diseases) by 40 per cent. in people under 75 by 2010 was met five years early and the mortality rate has now fallen by 44 per cent. when compared to the 1995-97 baseline. Death rates from CHD between the most deprived areas and the national average has narrowed and we are on track to deliver the 2010 target of at least a 40 per cent. reduction in the gap.
	From April 2009, the national health service is being asked to implement a systematic and integrated vascular risk assessment and management programme—the NHS Health Check programme. This will provide a mechanism to identify earlier people at risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease and support them to reduce their risk through the provision of lifestyle advice and interventions, and smoking cessation, and preventative medication such as statins. The programme has significant potential to narrow inequalities and many primary care trusts (PCTs) are using it as a major tool in tackling health inequalities.
	Other mechanisms available include the work of the National Health Inequalities Support Team in spearhead areas (the areas with the worst health and deprivation indicators), the Health Inequalities Intervention Tool, jointly developed with the Association of Public Health Observatories, that support PCTs and local authorities in local priority setting (including prioritising vascular conditions), planning and commissioning of services and the work of the Improvement Foundation Programme in improving early presentation of cardiovascular disease in the spearhead areas. This is in addition to the work that PCTs are doing to address some of the risk factors for vascular disease such as making available smoking cessation, weight management and physical activity programmes in a way that is accessible to the groups within the population who most need them.

Diabetes: Costs

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of treatment of diabetes and diabetes-related conditions in the last 12 months.

Ann Keen: Estimates of national health service expenditure on diabetes are available from the programme budgeting returns.
	Data for 2007-08 is not yet available. However, the following table shows the estimated gross level expenditure for diabetes from 2004-05 to 2006-07 in England. These figures include primary care trust, Department of Health (DH), strategic health authority and special health authority expenditure. It should be noted that these figures do not include prevention expenditure or general medical services/primary medical services expenditure.
	
		
			   Diabetes expenditure  (£000)  DH  g ross expenditure  (£000)  Diabetes as a proportion of gross expenditure (percentage) 
			 2004-05 687,402 71,922,179 1.0 
			 2005-06 866,000 80,185,241 1.1 
			 2006-07 1,043,021 84,193,209 1.2

Dietary Supplements: EU Law

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when he last met representatives of the  (a) Proprietary Association of Great Britain and  (b) Health Food Manufacturers Association to discuss the EU Food Supplements Directive;
	(2)  what recent progress has been made in discussions on the implementation of the EU Food Supplements Directive; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: I met with representatives of the Health Food Manufacturers' Association on 22 January 2009 and with the Proprietary Association of Great Britain on 1 April 2009 to discuss matters relating to the Food Supplements Directive 2002/46/EC.
	A meeting of the ad hoc technical group of member states, established to undertake scientific modelling on the setting of maximum levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements, was held on 24 April 2009. At the meeting, member states presented the results of work they had carried out using the scientific models proposed by the European Commission and their respective national data on the intake of vitamins and minerals from the diet.

Drugs: Babies

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many babies were born with a diagnosed addiction to drugs  (a) in each year since 1997 and  (b) in each primary care trust area in the last year for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many babies received treatment for  (a) drug addiction and  (b) alcohol problems arising from their mother's use of such substances during pregnancy (i) in each year since 1997 and (ii) in each primary care trust area in the last year for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: Data on the number of babies treated for alcohol problems arising from their mother's use of alcohol is not collected centrally.
	The following tables show the number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) where the primary or secondary diagnosis was either neonatal withdrawal symptoms from maternal use of drugs of addiction or withdrawal from therapeutic use of drugs in newborns. The baby is not diagnosed as addicted, but is withdrawing from the mother's addiction.
	It is not possible to provide information on the type of drug the newborn child is withdrawing from.
	It is unclear whether there has been a real rise in the number of babies born suffering from the mother's addiction, as we suspect that a better awareness of drug misuse has lead to an increase of awareness, identification. Improved engagement with pregnant drug addicted women by the national health service and improvements in treatment for drug addiction may have allowed more women to conceive and/or carry a pregnancy to full term.
	
		
			  Count of cases (finished consultant birth episodes) with a primary or secondary diagnosis of neonatal withdrawal symptoms from maternal use of drugs for the period 1997-98 to 2007-08 
			   Total finished consultant  birth episodes 
			 2007-08 1,230 
			 2006-07 1,211 
			 2005-06 1,210 
			 2004-05 1,192 
			 2003-04 1,156 
			 2002-03 1,054 
			 2001-02 933 
			 2000-01 926 
			 1999-2000 924 
			 1998-99 909 
			 1997-98 751 
		
	
	
		
			  Count of cases (finished consultant episodes) with a primary or secondary diagnosis of neonatal withdrawal symptoms from maternal use of drugs by primary care trust (PCT) of residence for the period 2007-08 
			  Current PCT of residence description  Total finished consultant  birth episodes 
			 Unknown 575 
			 Bromley PCT * 
			 Barnet PCT * 
			 Hillingdon PCT * 
			 Enfield PCT * 
			 Barking and Dagenham PCT * 
			 City and Hackney Teaching PCT * 
			 Tower Hamlets PCT * 
			 Newham PCT * 
			 Haringey Teaching PCT * 
			 Blackburn with Darwen PCT 7 
			 Herefordshire PCT * 
			 North Tyneside PCT * 
			 Hartlepool PCT * 
			 North Tees Teaching PCT * 
			 North Lincolnshire PCT 12 
			 Nottingham City PCT * 
			 Salford PCT 9 
			 Stockport PCT * 
			 Portsmouth City Teaching PCT * 
			 Luton PCT 11 
			 Rotherham PCT 6 
			 Ashton, Leigh and Wigan PCT 14 
			 Blackpool PCT 8 
			 Bolton PCT * 
			 Ealing PCT * 
			 Warrington PCT * 
			 Oldham PCT 7 
			 Calderdale PCT * 
			 Barnsley PCT * 
			 Bury PCT * 
			 Brent Teaching PCT * 
			 Camden PCT * 
			 Islington PCT 7 
			 Sunderland Teaching PCT * 
			 Southampton City PCT * 
			 Medway PCT 8 
			 Westminster PCT * 
			 Southwark PCT * 
			 Lewisham PCT * 
			 Tameside and Glossop PCT * 
			 Brighton and Hove City PCT 9 
			 South Birmingham PCT * 
			 Shropshire County PCT * 
			 Walsall Teaching PCT * 
			 Sutton and Merton PCT 6 
			 North Somerset PCT * 
			 Telford and Wrekin PCT * 
			 Wolverhampton City PCT * 
			 Heart of Birmingham Teaching PCT 7 
			 Leeds PCT 31 
			 Kirklees PCT * 
			 Wakefield District PCT 11 
			 Sheffield PCT 15 
			 Derbyshire County PCT 9 
			 Nottinghamshire County Teaching PCT 10 
			 Lincolnshire Teaching PCT * 
			 Redbridge PCT * 
			 Waltham Forest PCT * 
			 County Durham PCT * 
			 Cumbria Teaching PCT * 
			 North Lancashire Teaching PCT 6 
			 Central Lancashire PCT 8 
			 East Lancashire Teaching PCT 12 
			 Sefton PCT * 
			 Wirral PCT * 
			 Liverpool PCT 11 
			 Halton and St. Helens PCT 7 
			 Central and Eastern Cheshire PCT 8 
			 Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale PCT 7 
			 Manchester PCT 17 
			 North Yorkshire and York PCT * 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire PCT * 
			 Hull Teaching PCT * 
			 Bradford and Airedale Teaching PCT 21 
			 South East Essex PCT * 
			 Bedfordshire PCT 17 
			 East and North Hertfordshire PCT * 
			 Surrey PCT * 
			 West Sussex PCT * 
			 East Sussex Downs and Weald PCT * 
			 Hastings and Rother PCT * 
			 West Kent PCT * 
			 Leicestershire County and Rutland PCT 6 
			 Leicester City PCT 12 
			 Northamptonshire Teaching PCT 8 
			 Dudley PCT 6 
			 Sandwell PCT 9 
			 Birmingham East and North PCT 8 
			 South Staffordshire PCT * 
			 Worcestershire PCT * 
			 Warwickshire PCT * 
			 Peterborough PCT * 
			 Cambridgeshire PCT * 
			 Norfolk PCT * 
			 Great Yarmouth and Waveney PCT * 
			 Suffolk PCT 6 
			 West Essex PCT * 
			 North East Essex PCT 9 
			 South West Essex PCT * 
			 Eastern and Coastal Kent PCT * 
			 Hampshire PCT 7 
			 Buckinghamshire PCT 9 
			 Oxfordshire PCT * 
			 Berkshire West PCT 11 
			 Berkshire East PCT 7 
			 Bristol PCT 33 
			 Wiltshire PCT * 
			 Dorset PCT * 
			 Bournemouth and Poole Teaching PCT 24 
			 Devon PCT * 
			 Isle of Wight NHS PCT * 
			 Powys LHB * 
			 Northumberland Care Trust * 
			 Torbay Care Trust 8 
			 North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus 11 
			 Total 1,230 
			  Notes:  ICD-10 diagnosis codes used: P96.1 Neonatal withdrawal symptoms from maternal use of drugs of addiction. P96.2 Withdrawal symptoms form therapeutic use of drugs in newborn.  Low numbers Due to reasons of confidentiality, figures between one and five have been suppressed and replaced with '*' (an asterisk).  Ungrossed data Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, The Information Centre for health and social care.

Epilepsy

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken in response to the finding of its Workforce Issues discussion paper of 2006 on the adequacy of numbers of medical care staff with training and expertise in epilepsy.

Ann Keen: Local national health service organisations are best placed to determine the workforce it needs to deliver high quality service for patients. The Department is committed to supporting the NHS to do this by ensuring information such as supply and demand of medical practitioners with epilepsy training is well understood throughout the NHS, and that workforce planning and education and training decisions reflect this.
	The NHS Next Stage Review document 'A High Quality Workforce' outlined improvements for the workforce planning system, including a Centre for Workforce Intelligence and Professional Advisory Boards to provide expert research, analysis and co-ordinated clinical advice to the NHS.
	This will help to ensure that the NHS has the right workforce with the right skills to deliver high quality care for all patients.

Health Education: Influenza

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much he has allocated for expenditure on material to inform citizens about swine influenza.

Dawn Primarolo: The cost of advertising and publicity activity across the United Kingdom on swine influenza, including the swine influenza information phone line, is approximately £7.9 million pounds to date.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of abolishing prescription charges.

Dawn Primarolo: For the period April 2007 to March 2008, the revenue raised from prescription charges collected by pharmacists, appliance contractors and from prescription prepayment certificate fees was £432 million. In addition, dispensing doctors collect charges which are retained by primary care trusts and not collected centrally. Abolishing prescription charges in England would result in the loss of income available to the national health service.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Young People

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children under 16 years old were diagnosed with  (a) gonorrhoea,  (b) Chlamydia,  (c) syphilis,  (d) herpes and  (e) genital warts in each of the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: Number of selected sexually transmitted infections (STI) diagnosed in genitor urinary medicine (GUM) clinics and in the National Chlamydia Screening programme (NCSP) in England, in those under the age of 16 for 2003 to 2008 are given in the following table.
	
		
			  STI  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			  GUM clinics (under 16 years)   
			 Chlamydia 1,372 1,367 1,315 1,307 1,530 n/a 
			 Gonorrhoea 322 261 230 199 224 n/a 
			 Syphilis 3 3 17 8 6 n/a 
			 Genital herpes 151 142 140 143 215 n/a 
			 Genital warts 574 584 515 617 762 n/a 
			
			  NCSP (15 years only)   
			 Chlamydia (1)52 283 467 628 1,176 2,020 
			  Notes: 1. Data for 2003 consists of information reported for the period 1 April 2003 to 31 December 2003. 2.  Notes on GUM data:  (a) The data available from the KC60 statutory returns are for diagnoses made in GUM clinics only. Diagnoses made in other clinical settings, such as general practice, are not recorded in the KC60 dataset.  (b) The data available from the KC60 statutory returns are the number of diagnoses made, not the number of patients diagnosed.  (c) The information provided has been adjusted for missing clinic data.  (d) Data are unavailable for 2008.  3.  Notes on NCSP data:  (a) The NCSP has been phased in since 1 April 2003 with all 152 primary care trusts (PCTs) reporting data to the programme since March 2008. Therefore note that numbers of diagnoses have risen substantially as an increasing proportion of the target population have been tested.  (b) NSCP data are presented by PCT of residence and exclude those resident outside of England.  (c) The data from the NCSP Core Dataset are for positive Chlamydia screens conducted within the NCSP outside of GUM clinics only and include positive screens made by the Boots pathfinder project.  (d) The data available from the NCSP are the number of diagnoses made and not the number of patients diagnosed.  (e) Data includes Chlamydia diagnoses for males, females, and those with unknown/ unspecified sex.  (f) Data presented are based on tests with confirmed positive diagnoses only.  Source:  Health Protection Agency, KC60 returns. NCSP.

Swine Flu

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will fast track approval by the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs of pathogen inactivation for blood products to ensure the UK blood supply is (A)H1N1-free; and if he will make a statement.

Desmond Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to protect the UK from the A(H1N1) virus; if he will fast-track approval by the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs of pathogen inactivation for blood products to ensure that the UK blood supply is (A)H1N1-free; and if he will made a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs are currently reviewing risk-reduction measures for platelets, which include pathogen inactivation. There are currently no pathogen inactivation systems available for red blood cells, the most commonly prescribed blood component. Current expert advice is that risk of transmission of influenza through blood components is low, although the position is being kept under review.

Swine Flu

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what quantities of pathogen inactivated (A)H1N1-free blood products are available in the UK; what plans he has to adopt pathogen inactivation for all civilian and military blood products if the World Health Organisation designates the (A)H1N1 outbreak a pandemic; and if he will make a statement.

Desmond Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what quantities of pathogen-inactivated (A)H1N1-free blood products are stockpiled in the UK; what plans his Department has to adopt pathogen inactivation for all civilians and military blood products if the World Health Organisation designates the (A)H1N1 outbreak a pandemic; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Red cells are the most commonly prescribed blood component. There are no pathogen inactivation systems currently available for red cells. Risk-reduction measures for platelets, which include pathogen inactivation, are currently being reviewed by the Advisory Committee of the Safety of Blood, Safety and Organs. It is anticipated that this review will be completed shortly. Plasma imported from the United States of America for use in the under-16s is pathogen inactivated. Current expert advice is that risk of transmission of influenza through blood components is low, although the position is being kept under review.

Torbay Hospital: Infectious Diseases

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding has been allocated to Torbay Hospital to tackle  (a) MRSA and  (b) other similar infections in the latest period for which figures are available.

Ann Keen: The Department does not collect the information requested.
	Revenue allocations are made to primary care trusts (PCTs) to cover hospital and community health services, prescribing costs and primary medical services. It is for PCTs to decide what services they should commission (such as specific hospital services), in the light of local needs and circumstances, and to meet the health care needs of the local populations they serve.
	To support improvements in the national health service in reducing health care associated infections, there is comprehensive spending review funding of £270 million per year by 2010-11. This funding will be reflected in the national tariff uplift.
	This includes £130 million per year by 2010-11 for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus screening for all elective admissions from April 2009, and for all emergency admissions by 2010-11, as stated in "Our NHS Our Future", published on 4 October 2007. A copy of the publication has been placed in the Library.

Tuberculosis

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration he has given to the merits of establishing a national indicator for tuberculosis infection.

Dawn Primarolo: The NHS Next Stage Review considered all aspects of healthcare including tuberculosis and the need to set new targets. It introduced no new national targets, to ensure that the national health service continues to focus on the small number of targets in the NHS Operating Framework. Where the incidence of tuberculosis is a local issue, primary care trusts are empowered to deal with it.

Annuities

Jo Swinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the merits of removing the requirement for pensioners to buy annuities at the age of 75 years;
	(2)  with reference to the answer by the hon. Member for Camberwell and Peckham of 15 October 2008,  Official Report, column 791, on pensions, what the outcome has been of discussions between his Department and the Department for Work and Pensions on the requirement on pensioners to annuitise pensions at the age of 75 years.

Ian Pearson: There is no requirement to annuitise at any age. Rather there is a requirement that an income be taken from pension savings by age 75.
	The Government have considered this requirement to secure an income from a pension fund at age 75 in light of recent conditions in financial markets but has no plans to change it. 95 per cent. of people take an income from their pension savings by the age of 70.
	The current rules already allow a considerable degree of flexibility. A pension income can currently commence at any time between the ages of 50 and 75, and can be taken from a pension fund without annuitising, through income drawdown. Even at 75, it is not compulsory to annuitise; alternatively secured pensions are available for those for whom they are suitable and who do not wish to buy an annuity.